Story Highlights

PHILADELPHIA – Were it not for the posts getting in the way, Claude Giroux might have netted four goals.

The Flyers' captain was that on his game against the Chicago Blackhawks.

As much noise as three clanks of iron made, Giroux's overtime winner with 4.2 seconds left made more. It gave the Flyers three straight wins, the latest being a 3-2 thriller over the reigning champs.

"It will never get old seeing that," Matt Read said. "Sitting on the bench and we're all yelling, 'Ten seconds!' You're kind of just watching, but you're not expecting too much. What a great shot that was."

Giroux flew down the right wing and fired a shot high blocker side on Chicago goalie Antti Raanta from about 46 feet away.

"When I went on the ice with 15 seconds, maybe 20 seconds, I knew there wasn't a lot of time so I was just trying to shoot as hard as I could," Giroux said. 'I didn't really aim, to be honest. I just shot it on net."

With Giroux's fifth game-winner of the season, the Flyers erased a shaky start. They dominated the game after the Blackhawks scored two goals in the game's first 3:51, but until Giroux's tally, they couldn't buy a goal.

"I knew there wasn't very much time from that faceoff," coach Craig Berube said. "We had called timeout and stuff. I honestly was ready to pull out my lineup card for the shootout."

That's the way things seemed to go for the Flyers for most of the night. Chicago got on the board early when they took advantage of a bad drop pass by Brayden Schenn. Patrick Sharp carried it in and Andrew Shaw put home a rebound on Ray Emery, who made his first start since getting hurt Feb. 27.

Only 1:22 later, Duncan Keith doubled the lead with a blast from the point that Emery let squeeze through his 5-hole.

"It's been a while since I'd been in there," Emery said. "It's a little unnerving having a couple quick ones. I thought the guys really gave them nothing after that for a while and came back and got two goals by the end of the first."

Scott Hartnell had both first-period goals from the Flyers that tied the game. First, he threw a puck out in front from behind the net hoping to find Giroux. Instead, it bounced off Chicago's Marcus Kruger and behind Raanta.

"Well, the first goal was a lucky one," Hartnell admitted.

"The second goal, [Matt Read] and G did a great job behind the net and in the corners out working their guys to get the puck."

Hartnell's 18th of the season tied the game with 3:33 to go in the first period when he got a saucer pass from Giroux and sniped it up high over Raanta.

Things settled down in the second period, which was played like a chess match. Neither team wanted to make the fatal mistake that cost them the game. For Emery, a former Blackhawk, it was his busiest period. He made 11 of his 23 saves in the second stanza.

"Ray did a great job," Berube said. "I thought he read his old teammates very well. They had some wraparounds and stuff and he was over there and ready for it. I thought he did a real good job of that. He stayed composed even though we were down 2-0 right away. He hung in there and did a real nice job."

In the third period, the Flyers took the momentum back. That's when they had two of their five power plays and rang two shots off the post. Although the Flyers went 0-for-5 on the night, they were threatening every time they had the puck.

Raanta had an answer for all 14 of the Flyers' third-period shots, and again for the first two the Flyers fired at him in overtime. He didn't even react to Giroux's laser.

The win kept the Flyers in second place in the Metropolitan Division with 79 points. Since the New York Rangers also won Tuesday, they're still breathing down the Flyers' necks only one point behind.

Once again, Giroux made sure they wouldn't fall.

"In his mind, it's 'Win, win, win at all costs,'" Read said. "Any mistakes we make, you hear about it on the bench from him. He just wants perfect from everybody and his game has shown that on the ice he's working harder than everybody out there. It's fun to watch."